Expectations
by Author1998
Summary: I've tried and tried to do what I know I should be able to do, but no matter how hard I try, I can't get good grades and I can't swim. Why does this matter, you might ask? Well, because I'm the son of the legendary Percy and Annabeth Jackson. (I know, corny... just stop complaining and try it)
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue:**

_I've tried and tried to do what I know I should be able to do, but no matter how hard I try, I can't get good grades and I can't swim. Why does this matter, you might ask? Well, because I'm the son of the legendary Percy and Annabeth Jackson. Most people here call me Luke. Yeah, they decided to name their kid the same name of the famous Luke Castellon, as if I didn't already have too many expectations to live up to. I go to a mortal High School and live in a dorm there, and the only thing that relates me to the world of monsters and gods is my Mom and Dad… but maybe if I keep waiting, I'll get some awesome ability that no mortal could ever dream of having. That could happen… right?_

Most people might not think this is such a big deal. Sure, if you're just a normal mortal with normal parents, it doesn't matter at all. Unfortunately, I am NOT a normal mortal. I am supposed to be some huge success. The first-born son who was supposed to amaze everyone. Instead, I'm an embarrassment.

At least I have a best friend: Matthew Underwood. Matt and I have been friends since I was born, and they found out that I was practically a mortal, minus the Greek family tree. They introduced us and sent us both to private school to try to scout out demi-gods. At least, that's what they told us. I knew that Chiron just didn't want me near his precious Camp Half-Blood; everyone thought I would just get hurt.

I shook my head. Matt would never understand. He had all the goatliness of a satyr, smell included. I'm the only one in this place though who can actually tell what he is; that's the only un-mortally thing I have. So I can see monsters. Great. Not like it's going to get me far in a fight.

And if that wasn't enough, I had to have a younger sister who _does _have every ability of a demigod. Jade Jackson is an awesome combination of smarts, power… and _man_ can she swing a blade. Of course, she's not AS good at everything as Mom and Dad are, but I'm sure if she trains her skills enough, she'll get there. While she's out there killing monsters and saving the world, I'm struggling to maintain a straight D report card and keep mold off of my laundry.

Real exciting.

So I go to a mortal High School and live in a dorm there, and the only thing that relates me to the world of monsters and gods is my Mom and Dad… but maybe if I keep waiting, I'll get some awesome ability that no mortal could ever dream of having. That could happen… right?

The clock on the wall was the only thing making a sound in my classroom, besides the occasional sigh or cough. The teacher leaned over random desks, looking as menacing as he possibly could as he read our answers, determining whether we were doing well so far or if he should take the paper and throw it away now.

My forehead was beaded with nervous sweat. I _knew _these answers, but my mind was foggy. The tick of the clock was distracting me, and suddenly all I could focus on were the small movements of the room, like Brandon Foll's leg shaking or Willow Cree chewing on the end of her pencil. The words on the paper looked like a bunch of strange symbols, and I figured that either my teacher was playing a prank on us or I was just having trouble thinking straight. Based on previous experience, I'm guessing it's the latter.

"Time's up!" Mr. Gale announced happily, grinning widely when we all groaned. He really does enjoy our misery.

"Can I finish after school?" Willow asked as she reluctantly gave him her paper.

"Sure, but five o' clock is the deadline. If your tests aren't done by then, they're late. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," we all grumbled.

I grimaced when I looked down and realized I had only filled in one blank, and I don't think that he counts my name as a point. I would usually come in after school, but I can't today, because I have swimming lessons. Like that will go anywhere anyway.

The bell rings and Matt approaches. He sits three desks away. He used to sit right next to me, but then Mr. Gale thought he saw me cheating off of him, so he had to move.

"How do you think you did?" he asked as I collected my things and we both start out the door.

"Well, unless he's giving out free pity points, I'm dropping down to an F in Government," I reply, pushing past the people in the crowded hallway so I can make it to Matt and I's next class: Language and Composition Studies. Gross.

"What happened? You did awesome when you and I quizzed each other last…"

Matt's words faded when he saw a familiar looking brunette walk past us, hip swaying and hair flying behind her: none other than the popular—and-dangerous—Tracy White.

Tracy was elected Homecoming queen, but her crown only signifies her royalty over drama if you ask me. Her cherry-red lips are always spewing rumors and lies about other people, but her low cut shirts and her tiny shorts make it okay for most people. You can't catch her without a cake of makeup on her face and a cell-phone. If you do… well, make sure to tell me, because I'd love a picture of that.

"Hey, Luke," she smiles and flutters her eyelashes as she walks past.

"Don't do that, your eyelash extensions might fall off," I hear a voice next to me shoot at the girl.

I turn and find Dawn Fay Richard giving the cheerleader a mock smile. Dawn is the only mortal in this place that I consider a friend. She's known me for about as long as I've been here, which is a whopping 15 years. Her chocolate brown eyes are always warm and comforting, exempt from the times they are full of tears because of the people here who make fun of her. She loves dying her hair, which I never understood. In all honesty, I don't even know what the natural color is. Today, it was a blood red, with black tips.

"Cool hair," I noted as we continued to walk, all in a group.

"Thanks," she said, her cheeks going the same red.

"Are you ready for Lang?" I asked as we proceeded to class.

"Um, duh! It's my favorite class, remember? I finished that essay that's due today last month, though, so I'm turning in a different assignment."

Another thing about Dawn: I _swear_ she's a daughter of Athena. She excels in every kind of academic activity. She's even scared of spiders, although I've found out that a lot of girls are.

"Oh." Was there anything I could say?

"Why can't she love me…?" Matt finally said something. He was staring in the direction of where Tracy went. Dawn and I traded a look.

"Because she's already in love with hotness over here," she said bluntly, jutting a finger in my direction.

"Excuse me, but I am not 'hotness,'" I complained, feeling my face flush.

"Are you kidding me?" Dawn grumbled. "I can tell you _exactly_ what she's thinking. 'Oh my gosh, it's Luke Jackson, the cutest guy in school. I hope he likes what I'm wearing. I just love his curly blonde hair, and—oh my gosh—someday I'll get lost in those big sea-green eyes and…"

"_Okay_, I think we get it," Matt huffed, still looking for Tracy. "She'll never love me because she only goes for looks and, to put it delicately; I look like Hephaestus with hooves."

"Huh?" Dawn tilted her head, not catching the reference.

"Nothing," Matt and I quickly said. Sometimes we forget that Dawn is just a mortal. It's a pretty commonly made mistake with us, but we always manage to save ourselves.

We make it to Lang, but only halfway through the class, the loudspeakers crackle, and a woman's voice says "Luke Jackson, please come to the attendance office and sign out. We have a family member waiting for you in the parking lot."

Matt and Dawn give me weird looks, but I just shrug at them and get my things together, laughing inwardly at all the jealous glares I'm getting from my classmates. I leave with a bounce in my step. I don't even care who it is: I just got saved from an hour of syntax lecturing.

I follow instructions and sign out on the paper at the office, and then I walk into the sunlight. A jet black car was waiting for me right near the entrance. There were flames decorating the bottom, and skeletons were painted on the upper areas of the vehicle. I immediately knew who it was. A grin splitting my face, I ran to the passenger side and opened the door.

"Need a ride?" Uncle Nico smirked from the driver's side, tipping his sunglasses down so he could look me in the eye. He wasn't really my uncle, but I grew up calling him that.

"To where?"

Even as I asked, I was getting in. I would go anywhere if it meant skipping school.

"Camp Half-Blood."

This surprised me. I hadn't been there in years and years. Every holiday we had was at Leo's place, where he and Calypso had a massive warehouse that was cleared out and used for having feasts. I wondered if something bad had happened, but if that was true, then Uncle Nico wouldn't be smiling.

I shrugged and buckled my seat belt.

"You do remember what day it is, right?" Uncle Nico said as we drove.

Oh no, it was one of those trick questions. "Um, sure! Of course I remember!"

He gave me a look, his eyes momentarily leaving the road. "Oh really?"

"Yeah it's… Mom and Dad's anniversary?"

Uncle Nico laughed. "No, it's your sister's 16th birthday party! She wanted to have it at Camp so I'm here to take you!"

I groaned. "Why do _I _have to go? Why can't Jade just enjoy her party without me?"

"Luke, you know that your parents would never allow you to miss such an important day of your sister's life. Stop being so bitter. They sent you here to live a better life, so you wouldn't have to worry about monsters and being compared to the demi-gods with powers."

"I was two years old when they sent me away. I hardly remember a time when we were a family," I said angrily. "Why didn't they keep me?"

Nico didn't answer. He shifted the car and suddenly we were going so fast that my cheeks were flapping back. I wanted to throw up, but I was worried that if I did it would just go right back down.

"Shadow-travel machinery!" he yelled as everything grew dark around us. "Leo helped me design it!"

"Can I have one?" I shouted back as my eyeballs shook around in my skull like marbles.

"Only a child of Hades can operate one, sorry kid," Uncle Nico replied.

The darkness changed to an even deeper black, which didn't even seem possible. I heard strange noises and goosebumps appeared on my skin. Then, with a flash, we were on the beach. Only a couple minute's walk and I would see my parents.

I missed them horribly when I wasn't with them, although I never told anyone. I didn't understand why they had sent me off, although I always figured that it was to "keep my safe" from the…er… different training tactics here that required a more _durable _type of person. One game of capture the flag and I would be toast: possibly literally if the Hecate kids had learned any more new tricks since I last visited.

"I'm seventeen, I shouldn't have to go to a little girl's party," I whined some more, getting it all out before I see my parents. They don't tolerate complaining.

"She's only one year younger than you," Uncle Nico said knowingly. "Now… _race you to your cabin_!"

I laughed and started to run, but he had an advantage. He had started jogging ten feet ahead of me, and my run was more like his fast walk. I don't know how, but all the demi-gods I've met seem to have unnatural agilities. Well, not the Hypnos cabin. From what I can tell, they're too busy sleeping to try to exercise.

"Luke!" Mom was ready to great us right away. She pulled me into a huge hug, her blonde hair tickling my ear. "I missed you!"

"She never stops talking about you," Chiron said with a small smile. It looked like something was troubling him, though. All four of his hooves were tapping nervously, and his eyes kept flicking from my face to the ground.

"Where's dad?" I asked, pulling out of Mom's embrace and looking around. Usually we wrestled when I first got here. It was a chance for me to get some quality time with him… or, as he puts it, _pummeled by my old man_. I use the excuse that he's a legend and I'm a D straight student, then he raises his eyebrows and asks why I'm getting D's. Then Mom comes around and they both give me a talk about the importance of education. If I haven't mentioned this, I've done this a few times.

"He's… busy," Mom said. "threal question you should be asking is about your sister. Aren't you excited for her?"

"Yeah, aren't you excited for me?"

My sister waltzed up, smirking. It was odd, everything I got from Dad, she got from Mom, and vice versa. She had dark hair, gray eyes, and an attitude that could've rivalled Hera's. Sometimes I think that she might as well be goddess with how she acts... Not to mention her confidence.

"Oh yeah, happy birthday!" I say half-heartedly. We hug awkwardly after Mom gives us the stink eye, and then she runs off to go talk to her best friend, Vaz Rickie. She's a daughter of Hecate who put a charm on me once for making fun of Jade for wearing makeup.

I can never look at eyeliner the same again, and I've been a little more careful around Vaz.

"Don't forget to put my present on the present table!" Jade calls back as she leaves.

My stomach sinks. The present! I should've figured that I would need a present the second that Uncle Nico told me it was birthday party. I knew exactly what to do; get a Hermes kid to steal me something nice from the gift shop… maybe I could find a t-shirt that says "I'm with stupid" in her size.

"Luke! Aw, it's great to see my little buddy!" Aunt Thalia came up to squeeze me into a bear hug. That woman is like a python; she just squeezes and squeezes until your ribs collapse.

"Hi, Thalia," I say into her shirt. "Nice to see you."

**Tell me if I should continue… :3 I'm not sure about this one so make sure to be completely honest. Thanks guys! Sorry about the abrupt ending, I don't have any more time. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, sorry this took so long. I'm just going to skip all the long excuses and get to the point :P **

**Snowbird5000: **Thanks for your encouragement, I decided that I would continue it It'll be fun.

**Percyjacksonismym8: **YAY for no flames :D

**Gabbles64: **Aw, thanks :3 I do like being original

**March Winters: **Well, I don't know about the best, but… ;) Thanks for the flattery anyway :D

**Guest: **:3 Thaaaanks. I'm trying to keep it up, I promise. I just am very slow and I have a lot of other stuff to do but… no excuses, right? ;) I hope you enjoy!

**Bob: **I hope I can see the same potential you do : ) Have you read one of my other stories? I have noticed a plethora of Bobs who review but I don't know if it's just a common Guest name or what XP Anyway, thanks for the review :D

**Larry gd: **I do too… I hope I can write them as fast as you want them, but judging on the lateness of this review, then I doubt it. :P Sorry again.

**I: **I'm glad that you like it! :D

**TO THE STORY, AWAAAAY….**

"How are you? Have you met a girl yet?" she ruffles my hair before letting me go. I nearly fall backwards, too busy trying to get oxygen into my lungs to worry about things like balance.

She asks me the same question every time I see her. "No, I haven't," I say. She should be used to this response.

"How can a guy with your looks not have a…."

She was interrupted by my mom. "Thalia, can you go, er, check on Percy? I need to have a talk with my son."

The woman walked away, giving me a wink as she left. And then she was gone. I turned to Mom, giving her a curious look.

"What do you mean, _check _on Dad?"

"Well, the defenses at Camp Half-Blood haven't been the best lately. Rachel gave us a prophesy… anyway, you don't need to know about that. It's being handled. Your father is patrolling right now."

"Why are the defenses down?"

She looked troubled. Her gray eyes flicked around, never meeting my gaze—not unlike Chiron, who had cantered off when Thalia and I were talking. He looked worried, too.

"We're not sure," Mom finally answered shortly. I could tell that made her mad: not knowing things almost always did. "Look, Luke, just… sit tight, okay? Don't go looking for your dad or anything stupid. You're not qualified."

"That's okay, Mom. Whatever. I know I'm not qualified, I'm _never _qualified for anything. Not even for being your son."

With that, I stormed away. If she wasn't going to tell me where Dad was, I was going to find him. Talking to him almost always made me forget that they had sent me away. He always made me feel like I _was _wanted. He was probably in the woods or something.

"Luke!" Vaz caught up to me. "Where are you going?"

I had no idea where she came from, but it didn't matter. "I'm going to find my dad."

"Percy? But… you can't… you'll get hurt!" she looked amazed at my daring. "Either you're really brave or really stupid, because there's no way that you can survive in those woods. There are monsters in there, Luke. Big monsters. I think it would be best if you just wait for him to come back."

By this time, I was fuming. "Why does everyone assume that I'm completely helpless?"

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my pocketknife. Dad gave it to me for _my _sixteenth birthday.

"A mortal blade?" Vaz said skeptically. "That's not going to do anything."

I pressed a button on the side, and the knife shifted, turning into a different kind of metal that glinted in the sunlight. "I know what I'm doing."

She still didn't seem convinced. "You have no training. You're going to get yourself killed. What kind of birthday present would that be to Jade?"

"At least then I will have gotten her something," I mumbled.

Vaz didn't seem to have anything to say to that. I thought she was going to turn around and walk away, but she did the opposite. She picked up the pace and pulled out her sword, a beautiful two edged blade that was a little longer then my arm and made my knife look like a toothpick.

"If you're going in, then it's my duty to keep you safe," she said.

I didn't understand why she was suddenly acting so nice to me; Vaz had always made it her personal responsibility to make me feel uncomfortable and out of place, especially when I was with her and Jade. Now, though, she was acting almost like we were friends. After that whole charming incident, we were far from it.

"Whatever," I shrugged, knowing I couldn't stop her. What was I going to do to change her mind? She was wielding a sword and had a crazy look in her eyes. It's never a good idea to mess with a determined demi god.

"Why are you so desperate to find him anyway?" Vaz asked, dropping her voice to a whisper as we entered the woods. She stepped on a twig and cursed silently when the sound seemed to echo back at us.

"I just want to see him," I snap. "Is that illegal? He's still my dad, isn't he?"

She raised her hands in surrender, momentarily pointing her sword at the sky. "Woah, calm down. I just asked a question… trying to pass the time here…"

"I appreciate the gesture," I replied slowly, "but maybe I just want to be left alone."

Thankfully, she quieted down after that. I wondered what Matthew was up to, and what color Dawn would be dyeing her hair tonight. I thought about how angry my swimming instructor probably would be at me next week, seeing as I was basically ditching him at this point. Not like I wanted to, I would rather be half-drowning like I do every Wednesday than be here, at perfect little Jade's birthday party.

"Sh," Vaz said abruptly, snapping me out of my thoughts and automatically putting me on the alert. I glanced around, but from what I could see everything was fine.

"You're crazy," I exclaimed loudly. "There's nothing going…"

"Move!" she screamed suddenly, pushing me.

An arrow flew past where my head had once been. I instinctively fell flat, pulling Vaz down with me. She was pointing her sword in all directions, obviously looking for the archer who had shot at me. Another couple of arrows whizzed past above our heads, and I squeezed my eyes tightly shut as if the action would protect me.

"Crawl, you idiot," the _charming_ girl beside me hissed. "We're being targeted."

No duh, I wanted to say, but I did was I was told and started to move army-style, getting dirt and grime all over my t-shirt. That was okay; keeping my clothes clean was not exactly the main priority when someone was trying to kill us.

"What kind of monster knows how to shoot a bow and arrow?" I whispered as we moved. "I thought they were all supposed to be 'roar, I'm going to attack you' and then it makes it easy to just slice 'em and dice 'em."

"Do you ever listen to yourself when you talk? Seriously, what kind of person says that kind of thing while they're being shot at?"

"The kind of person who is very offended by the lack of tradition our attacker is showing. The monster attacks head on stupidly. We kill it. It's the demi-god/monster relationship I feel I deserve as a rookie."

"Well I'm sorry that we got a hard monster. Suck it up and keep crawling."

"I am!"

The next few minutes were spent going back and forth and trying to stay alive. Strangely enough, I felt exhilarated. So _this _is what it would be like to be a real demi-god: being attacked, fighting for your life… It was like a really cool sci-fi action movie. Until…

"Uhhhh!" Vaz groaned from beside me, her eyes suddenly going strangely wide. I glanced to my left and almost passed out. An arrow was lodged deep in the back of her shoulder blade, sticking straight up like a sick candle on my stupid sister's cake. Why am I thinking about this right now?

"Are you okay?" I asked automatically. Okay, now _that _was a stupid question.

"I'm fine," Jade's friend grunted, coming to a stop. "Just peachy. Help me pull this thing out!"

She reached her hand backwards as if she could reach it, but I knew she couldn't. A small patch of blood was starting to stain through her white blouse.

"I don't think you're supposed to pull it out like that," I said, trying not to throw up at the sight of the injury. "We should get you to a doctor."

"You're right. We should get to a doctor. Now where in the name of Hades do you think we are going to find a hospital in the middle of the freaking forest?" she snapped at me.

"Your sarcasm is refreshing," I muttered.

"But your stupidity isn't."

Our argument was cut short when another arrow seemed to spring from the ground right next to Vaz's leg. We needed to move. The problem was, I didn't know how we were supposed to get her moving without hurting her. Whoever was attacking us was closing in, and I couldn't afford to let Vaz get any more hurt than she already was. From what I could tell, the arrow hadn't gone anywhere near her heart luckily, but she was still in danger of a lot of other stuff that could prove fatal.

"Luke?" I could hear Chiron calling from somewhere to my right. Thank the gods.

"We're over here!" I yelled, rolling as I did so. Four arrows hit the dirt where I had been only seconds ago. At least I had good instincts.

"Hey stupid, it's kind of painful when you get shot with an arrow. I think I'm passing out," Vaz's eyes were fluttering shut even as she said it. "Don't let me die, please and thank you."

"Luke!" there was Chiron again. I felt pulled in different directions. I could yell again, but it seemed like too much of a risk. Then again, if he didn't find us soon, we were definitely doomed.

Vaz's eyes closed. I looked around frantically for something to use… anything that might be helpful. There was a couple of twigs to my left, but they weren't going to be of any use. I saw Vaz's sword sticking awkwardly out of its sheath. Making a quick decision, I grabbed it and stood, swaying to and fro in an attempt to prove a harder target.

"Leave us alone!" I shouted, raising my arm so the sunlight glinted off the blade. From there everything happened in slow motion.

I saw Chiron galloping into the scene, waving his arm and yelling at me to get down. I felt a sudden biting pain in my arm, and when I looked up, I saw three different arrows all sticking out of the flesh right below my elbow, and I realized I was about to black out just seconds before it happened.

**Isn't he an idiot? ;) I promise to get another update up faster than I did last time, but for now let me know if you liked the chapter. THANKS GUYS! :D **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I know, really fast update! :D I was really excited to continue this story and I'm going to prove it to you guys. Thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews, it always makes me smile. **

**Fyphoniex: Awww, that really means a lot to me : ) I do my best as a writer, and I'm glad that I'm making good progress :D Thanks so much!**

**StephLopez: Thanks! I do my best to be original so I'm glad that you think it's interesting. :D I hope you like this chapter. **

"Luke! Wake up! Gods, you just had to make today about you."

My eyes opened slowly, and everything came into focus after a couple of blinks. My sister was looming over me, fists clenched.

"..uh?" was all I could manage. Why couldn't I move my arms or legs?

"Today is _my _birthday. It's _my _friend that you got shot in the back, and it's…."

I interrupted her. "Jade, where's Mom and Dad."

She faltered. "Um, Chiron said not to say anything. You're supposed to be resting. Bye!"

And with that she left in a hurry. I laid back, trying to move. I couldn't feel any part of my body whatsoever.

"Good morning stupid," a voice grumbled from somewhere to my right. I managed to turn my head and saw that Vaz was in a bed right next to mine, her face screwed up in a grimace.

"I didn't get you killed!" I managed.

She stopped herself from smiling. "Good job. In the process, you also got yourself stuck by three arrows."

Oh yeah. I had nearly forgotten about that...

"Luke? Are you awake?" Chiron entered the room before I could respond to Vaz. He was in wheelchair form, which I appreciated. I always felt less intimidated by him when he wasn't towering over me,

"No," I said, wincing as some of the feeling was coming back into my body. "I'm really good at having a conversation when I'm sleeping."

"This is no time to joke around," he said, looking serious. "Percy and Annabeth are gone."

"What?!" I made a sudden movement in an attempt to get up. Pain sliced through my whole body, radiating from my arm. I fell back onto my pillow and tried not to throw up.

"Don't get too worked up. We really shouldn't have given you any ambrosia. Ah, as I was saying, your parents and Thalia have disappeared. About the time you went to look for Percy, I did as well. There were signs of a struggle where he was supposed to be patrolling, and the only thing there was...this," Chiron held up a Camp-Half Blood necklace. It was completely packed with beads from all of Dad's years here. Suddenly I had a huge lump in my throat.

"What happend to Annabeth?" Vaz asked from beside me, voice wavering. I knew what she was thinking: what could possibly get the best of Percy Jackson, the hero of Olympus and the person who saved the world about a million times?

"She went looking for Luke and never came back. We have a search party out, but I'm sorry to say that it is doubtful they will find her. I know Annabeth: she would have come back by now if something hadn't happened. It's the same story with Thalia."

"Do you think they're… alive?" I managed, choking on the words. If I hadn't been stupid and acted rashly, everyone would be eating birthday cake and laughing together.

"Of course they're alive," the centaur comforted me, but I could tell that his smile was forced. "Those three have survived much worse than a little kidnapping."

"So you think they were kidnapped?"

Chiron pressed his lips together and furrowed his eyebrows. It was obvious he hadn't wanted to voice his theory. "It is too early to tell," was all he would say. "You should get some rest. That arrow wound was really bad. The same goes for you, Miss Rickie."

Vaz groaned. "Oh, come on! I can't sleep now! What kind of bedtime story is that?"

I didn't speak. Instead, I made another effort to get up, this time ignoring the pain that shot through my body at the slightest movement of my arm. My feet hit the floor and I pushed my way past Chiron, biting my tongue when a yell of pain threatened to come out. Almost on cue, a scream came from outside the Big House.

Quickening my pace, I left the little recovery area and made it into the sunshine, where I stopped for a breather and looked for the source of the scream. The centaur was right behind me, transformed into his full half-horse, half-man state. He took an arrow out and latched it onto his bow's string, also trying to find out where the scream had come from.

It didn't take long to see the smoke. It was completely black, and looked thick enough to suffocate a person. Forgetting my arm for a moment, I started running. The fire was coming from the Hephaestus cabin. The burly mechanics were running around, getting water and yelling for help. I gaped, the flames were huge.

"Someone get Percy!" a girl from the Hecate cabin was screaming, waving her hands and running around in circles. My heart clenched even at the name.

"Make sure there are no dryads around," Chiron said loudly and calmly, returning his bow to his back. "Begin forming a line to the river!"

But even I could tell it was too late. The fire was consuming the cabin too fast; it was acting like a monster in itself, licking it's lips as it devoured the last bit of wood. Standing in the middle of the rubble was none other than Leo Valdez. I suppressed a laugh at the look on his face.

"It wasn't me?" he tried sheepishly, patting out a stray flame in his hair.

"Valdez, what happened?" Chiron asked grimly. I could tell he was trying not to get angry.

"It was my fault," another Hephaestus kid said, ducking his head and stepping forward. "I told him the news about Percy when he was...unprepared."

"Dude, you woke me up in the middle of the nap and told me one of my closest friends is in danger," Leo complained. "How did you think I was going to react?"

The kid blushed and ran off.

"I think you've scared him," Chiron noted, but I saw the corner of his mouth twitch.

"He'll get over it," Leo waved his hand, stepping towards us and then looking at me like he hadn't noticed me before. "Oh, Luke. Hi! I didn't know you knew…"

"…your sister's birthday was today," the centaur finished, giving the tinker a warning look that I caught easily.

"Oh, er, yeah. That. Um, Luke? You realize that you're swaying, right?"

I did, but I couldn't do anything about it. The pain from my arm had suddenly hit me full on. The world spun and suddenly I couldn't tell the difference from the sky and the grass below me.

Leo took two long steps and caught me. It took me a couple seconds before I realized that I had been falling.

"We'd better get him to an Apollo kid," he said. "What happened?"

"He got hit with a couple arrows in the arm. We haven't figured out exactly who or what was shooting at him and Vaz, but whatever it was managed to stick them both."

"Vaz is hurt?" Leo faltered, and I knew why. He always acted like Vaz was his own daughter, since she got abandoned by her father when she was little. Even though he hadn't personally raised her, they had formed a really special bond that everyone in the camp recognized.

"She'll be fine, Luke here… we had to give him some ambrosia and it didn't sit well with him. He won't be perfectly fine for at least a couple of weeks. He's lucky he has demi-god genes in him; there could've been serious consequences."

"What? Like getting my parents kidnapped?" the pain had cleared up enough for me to focus my vision and talk. The ache from my arm was nothing to the one in my heart. "Like getting Jade's best friend shot in the back and ruining my sister's sixteenth birthday party? Gee, I'm sure glad we avoided that."

I tried to remove myself from Leo's grip, but he had gotten a lot stronger. Instead of the really weak, skinny looking boy he was in all of Mom and Dad's old photographs, he had bulked up a lot, even though he remained his wiry, lanky self. I hoped that would happen to me someday.

"You need to rest," the son of Hephaestus said firmly. "And take a chill pill. None of this is your fault?"

"Oh really?" my vision was going red, but whether it was from pain or anger I couldn't tell. "Tell me, would all of that had happened if I had just stayed in camp?"

Neither him or Chiron seemed to have an answer for that. This time I was able to tug myself from Leo's grasp and leave, getting a little shock when I jolted my arm. I was tired of everyone acting like I wasn't to blame, because it was completely obvious that it was. I just needed to find Mom and Dad. Then everything would be okay again…

I made it back to the Poseidon cabin without any problems. I shoved a couple of Dad's shirts and some other necessities into a bag and started towards the Big House. I could probably sneak out some provisions no problem. Before I could make it that far, I was stopped by none other than Jade.

"You're out of bed already?" she snapped, obviously still angry.

"Leave me alone," I muttered, trying to move around her. Looking at her green eyes made my eyes mist up at the corners… oh Dad, I'm sorry…

"No! And what in Hades do you think you're doing?" she asked, seeing the bag. "Are you going off on another thoughtless journey? Come on, Luke, look at what happened last time!"

"Leave me alone!" Maybe if I just said the same thing over and over, she would actually listen to me for once in her life. I got past her and started to walk away.

"Think: what would Mom and Dad do?" she yelled at my back.

"Judging from all the stories I've heard, the exact same thing," I said under my breath and continued to the Big House. When I got to where the provisions were kept, I found a strange sight. Shoving packages of bread and ham into a backpack of her own was none other than Vaz. She dropped the pack when she saw me.

"Look, it's not what it looks like…" she started.

"Calm down, I'm here for the same thing," I interrupted, going down to the steps.

"You're going to go after Percy and Annabeth?" Why did she sound so surprised?  
>"You mean, Mom and Dad? Duh. The question is: why are <em>you <em>going after them?"

She did the last thing I thought she would: Vaz Rickie actually started crying. And not just little tears, but wracking sobs that made me feel actually sorry for her.

"It's all my fault," she managed, wiping boogers all over her sweater. "I should have just stopped you."

I couldn't help but gape at her. "How can you say that? I'm the one to blame; _I'm _the one who went into the stupid woods stupidly. Ergo your nickname for me: stupid."

Vaz cocked her head, sniffles subsiding. "You are pretty stupid, aren't you," she said slowly, but with a smile.

That sounded like an insult, but her smile was contagious. "Yeah, I guess," I said, grinning.

The next few minutes were spent in silence as we both stocked up on food. I packed as much as I could possibly carry, but I knew that I would probably have to restock. Hopefully, I'll manage to figure it out as I go, like all the demi-god's in Mom and Dad's stories, including them.

"So, I guess we're off on a quest and we might not return alive," Vaz mused as she threw a container of peanut-butter in her bag. "How are you feeling?"

"What do you mean _we_?" I argued. "I'm doing this alone."

"You barely survived three minutes in the woods, do you seriously think I'm going to let you go alone on a quest? No, no, no. I owe it to Jade to get her parents back, and I don't think she would cope well with you dying."

"Like she would care," I muttered, but I don't think she heard me. Nevertheless, I let Vaz follow me when I left the building. It seemed odd that even though it was obvious I was about to leave, no one was stopping me. A small team of campers had started rebuilding the Hephaestus cabin, and others wandered here and there, all of them doing something or other and none of them meeting my eyes or even looking my way.

"Do you notice… something strange?" Vaz was looking just as uneasy as I felt.

"You mean besides the fact that it's like we're invisible? Nope. Everything is just normal."

It got even weirder when I tried to say hi to Leo, who was passing by. My greeting was met by him completely ignoring me… and then walking right through me.

"Okay, definitely something strange," I said. Judging how wide Vaz's eyes were, she had seen what had just happened.

_Go, _a woman's voice suddenly said in my head. _I am watching you my child. _

"What. Was. That." I was completely freaked out by now.

"That was my Mom," Vaz said in awe. "She's given us her blessing. I think that's what's going on here."

"Well, as long as we have her blessing," I scoffed. It startled me when I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder.

"A god's blessing is serious, Luke," Vaz's eyes pierced my own. "It's a sign."

"I hope it means we'll win," I said, adjusting the strap on my bag so it wasn't putting too much pressure on my bad shoulder. I had grabbed an entire case of ambrosia, but I wasn't planning on using it. It just comforted me to know that I had an emergency back-up plan… just in case.

"Me too, stupid."

And with that, we were on our way.

**Soooooo, what do you guys think of Vaz? She's a charmer ;) Let me know what you guys think pweeezzzzzzzz *puppy dog face* I don't care if it's a one worded review or a paragraph, to hear your feedback really improves the fanfiction. I hope that I'm not making anyone OOC, but if I am let me know, okay? I can't stand it when people don't portray the characters right, and I'm sure you guys feel the same way :P ANYHOW the next chapter might not come as soon as this one did, but who knows… your reviews always boost my inspiration *cough*hint*cough*hint*cough* ;D Thanks everyone! **


End file.
